Andre Gonzales (Poway, Calif.), 106-pound champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman
Gonzales was closed out of the lineup as a freshman before placing third in the always tough California state tournament at the opening weight class during his sophomore season. He entered Fargo off a 13-0 run at Junior Duals in contested matches across Greco-Roman and freestyle.
Three early technical superiorities placed Gonzales into the quarterfinal round, though two of those victories came against high school state champions in Quade Smith (Layton, Utah) and Ryan Rowland (Hagerty, Fla.), Smith would place eighth in this bracket despite that round of 32 loss. In the quarterfinal, it was yet another technical superiority, 14-1 over state medalist Kelly Dunnigan (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), a semifinalist this past fall in the Super 32 Challenge. The semifinal match was a 6-4 victory over Eli Griffin (Cascia Hall, Okla.), a two-time state champion who ended the season weight class ranked at 106 pounds; while it was a 19-7 technical superiority win over Junior folkstyle champion Blake West (Owatonna, Minn.) in the championship bout.
Nathan Pulliam (Rolla, Mo.), fourth place at 132 pounds in freestyle
Though Pulliam has a high school mark of 76-1 with two state titles in two seasons of high school wrestling, he still entered Fargo an unheralded wrestler on the national level, even after an 8-0 performance at the Junior Duals in freestyle last month in Oklahoma City. However, last week in Fargo would serve to change that narrative.
The tournament for Pulliam started with a pair of technical superiority victories before a 6-4 win over multi-time state champion Gabe Hixenbaugh (Thompson, Ala.) put people on notice. Next was a pin against Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, Iowa), a wrestler ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2021, to advance him to the quarterfinal round. Pulliam would lose to eventual champion Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.) by fall in that match before earning his podium spot with a 13-2 technical superiority victory over NHSCA Junior All-American Anthony DiBartolo (Hauppauge, N.Y.).
Pulliam would reach the consolation final with a 12-6 win over 2018 16U freestyle All-American Drew Roberts (University, Wash.) and a 13-6 win over Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.), who finished as the No. 83 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. His tournament ended with an 11-1 loss to Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa).
John Martin Best (Parkersburg, W.Va.), 152-pound runner-up in freestyle
Last year's 16U runner-up in freestyle had a very mixed 12-month period preceding last week's Fargo event. Among those notable credentials on the resume were a seventh at the Ironman, fifth at the Powerade, fifth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals, and seventh at UWW Cadet freestyle. It saw him positioned outside the top 100 overall in the Class of 2020.
Within his first three wins of the Junior freestyle event, a pair came over credential opposition; 8-2 over two-time state runner-up Ben Monroe (Ankeny Centennial, Iowa) in the opening round and then 14-0 over state champion Brant Whitaker (Boonville, Mo.) in the third round. A signature moment came in the round of 16 when he beat Luka Wick (San Marino, Calif.) 4-3, who entered as the No. 24 overall Class of 2021 wrestler. Next was an 11-4 win over state medalist Kaden Reetz (Madison Memorial, Wis.) in the quarterfinal round. Best advanced to the final on the strength of a 7-0 win over Daniel Manibog (Katy, Texas), a returning Junior freestyle All-American who finished as the No. 68 overall wrestler in the Class of 2019. His championship match was an 8-2 loss to Jace Luchau (Selma, Calif.), who finished No. 48 overall in the Class of 2019.
Derek Gilcher (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), seventh place at 152 pounds in freestyle
Like Best, Gilcher entered Fargo a two-time state champion ranked outside the top-100 overall in the Class of 2020. His tournament started with a 10-0 technical fall, before having to draw eventual champion Luchau in the round of 64; Gilcher jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two minutes remaining the bout, but lost 7-3. Then, it was onto the marathon of consolation wrestling, where he needed seven wins to merely reach the podium.
The first four of those wins came by technical superiority, in which Gilcher gave up just one point along the way; the third of those came against state medalist Brock Ellis (Chesterton, Ind.). Needing three more wins to earn All-American honors, Gilcher ran into Matt Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.), a wrestler ranked No. 33 overall in the Class of 2020, and one that had beaten Gilcher by pin in the Central Regional final. However, on this occasion, it was a 12-1 technical superiority win.
Still needing two wins, it was on to a match against No. 41 overall Class of 2020 wrestler Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.); Gilcher would win on this occasion by 16-5 technical superiority. In the last of seven consolation wins he needed to get on the podium, Gilcher outlasted state champion Donald Cates (Northern Durham, N.C.) 6-3; Cates was a 16U freestyle All-American last summer and a UWW Cadet freestyle All-American earlier in the spring. Gilcher then lost 12-6 to Legend Lamer (Crescent Valley, Ore.) before beating Cael Carlson (Willmar, Minn.) 17-6 for seventh place; both of those graduated seniors were top 15 at 145 at the end of 2018-19, while Gilcher was not ranked at 138.
Patrick Kennedy dominated the field at 170 pounds in Junior freestyle (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), 170-pound champion in freestyle
To say a wrestler ranked No. 8 overall in the Class of 2020 raised his stock during the Fargo week takes a lot of doing. One can argue that three-time state champion and two-time Super 32 Challenge finalist (2017 champion) Patrick Kennedy did just that during his destruction of the field at 170 pounds on the way to winning the Junior National freestyle title. Six of Kennedy's seven matches were shutout victories by technical superiority in the first period; the lone match to go the distance was a 9-5 semifinal win over Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio), who entered the event ranked No. 27 in the Class of 2020 (something that might go up in its own right).
Within Kennedy's first three matches were wins over two-time state medalist Matthew Rogers (Wantagh, N.Y.) and state medalist Spencer Mooberry (Osage, Iowa). In the round of 16, it was a 10-0 destruction of Grayden Penner (Liberty, Mo.) in 1:45, who entered the tournament ranked No. 53 overall in the Class of 2020. The quarterfinal was a 10-0 technical superiority in 1:34 over state medalist Angel Garcia (Marian Bracetti Academy, Pa.), the Northeast Regional champion in freestyle, who would win Greco-Roman later in the week. In the championship match it was a 10-0 technical superiority in 2:20 over state champion Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), who is ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2020.
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